Oil Fires Burn South of Mosul

Combined Joint Task Force – Inherent Resolve is assessing the potential risk to personnel at Camp Swift and Qayyarah West Airfield, located about 50 miles south of Mosul, as a result of nearby burning oil wells and a sulfur plant fire.

The coalition has taken air samples and analysis is ongoing to determine what, if any, concerns may result from the fires, which officials said were set by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists.

As a precaution, coalition personnel at sites affected by the smoke have been directed to limit their activity outdoors. Some service members have voluntarily chosen to don protective masks for their own comfort.

The coalition takes the risk of these hazards and associated substances into consideration as part of ongoing force protection measures and are prepared to respond to such a contingency should that need arise.

There has been no change at this time to the mission-oriented protective posture level. Iraq’s government is working to put out the fires and projects it may take approximately two to three days to accomplish this task.

Protective Masks

CJTF-OIR provided more than 24,000 protective chemical masks to Iraqi and peshmerga forces during training in preparation for the Mosul offensive.